He did have a partner, a female who had raised a chick before. He was inexperienced, this was his first nest. It is not unusual for a first time nester to abandon an egg. Since he abandoned the nest, I have seen another albatross sitting on the egg, a bird who has never nested. I never remove an egg right away, and this is one reason why. Other birds may try it out, or the one who abandoned it could return. I do not like to interfere in the normal course of albatross life, so I leave the egg.